1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic imaging apparatus including the same, and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly to a method for changing a pulse signal received by an ultrasonic probe by controlling a switching element mounted to an ultrasonic probe during pulse inversion harmonic imaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus applies an ultrasonic signal generated by a transducer of an ultrasonic probe from the surface of an object (for example, a human body) to a target site of the inside of the body of the object, and non-invasively acquires tomograms of soft tissues or images regarding blood flow upon receiving reflected ultrasonic signals (ultrasonic echo signals), such that the ultrasonic imaging apparatus may be used for medical purposes, for example, acquisition of images regarding the interior of the object, detection of foreign materials, injury measurement, etc.
The ultrasonic imaging apparatus has compact size and low price, displays a diagnostic image in real time, as compared to other image diagnostic apparatuses, for example, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, and a nuclear medical diagnostic apparatus. In addition, since the ultrasonic imaging apparatus does not cause radiation exposure, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus is inherently safe. Accordingly, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus has been widely used in various fields along with other image diagnostic apparatuses.
The ultrasonic imaging apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe which emits ultrasonic signals to the object and receives echo ultrasonic signals reflected from the object, such that it can acquire images regarding the interior of the object. In order to emit ultrasonic signals to the interior of the human body, a transducer array to convert an electrical signal into an ultrasonic signal and vice versa may be used. The transducer array may include a plurality of transducer elements.
Meanwhile, pulse inversion harmonic imaging may be used for ultrasonic diagnosis, and the pulse inversion harmonic imaging is an ultrasonic diagnostic technology for effectively detecting harmonic signals or non-linear signals.